Last game
Ugly, ugly score yesterday. The Reds lost to the Mariners 16-0. Homer Bailey took the brunt of it, allowing 9 runs (8 earned) on 9 hits and 2 walks through 3.1 innings. Wilkin De La Rosa gave up the next 6 (5 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks through 1.1 innings. Compared to those two, the run apiece given up by Manny Parra and Kevin Whelan hardly seem worth mentioning. Justin Freeman and J.J. Hoover pitched scoreless innings.

Not much to say on the offensive side. Zack Cozart was the only one to manage two hits. Even Joey Votto went 0-for-4.

Johnny Cueto’s first pitch of the 2012 season.

Not that I’m worried, but…
With all respect to the fact that spring training games are just a chance to try things out and work out the kinks, and acknowledging the fact that the Reds don’t have a lot of contentious roster spots for guys to be going all out to secure, it seems like maybe Cincinnati should be winning a little more. I mean, this is practice time for all the other teams, too, but they’ve still managed to beat the Reds 2/3 of the time.

I take a little comfort in the fact that I’m still seeing an awful lot of names I’ve never heard before in the box scores, which makes me think Dusty’s mostly fielding the AAA team to see who will come up when injuries happen. I’m also encouraged that today’s start by Cueto marks the last practice turn of the rotation: maybe this is when they start practicing the “intensity” part of the game.

I don’t care about the 9-18; I just don’t want March to have been a month’s worth of practice at losing.

What to say to sound smart at the water cooler
You can get on TV during a Reds post-game show to ask a question (to the hosts of Reds Live, I guess?) by going to the Holy Grail at the Banks before the games on these dates:

• 4/1/2013 (Opening Day) 1p-3p
• 4/19/2013 6p-7p
• 5/10/2013 6p-7p
• 5/24/2013 6p-7p
• 6/14/2013 6p-7p
• 7/3/2013 6p-7p
• 7/19/2013 6p-7p
• 8/2/2013 6p-7p
• 8/23/2013 6p-7p
• 9/6/2013 6p-7p

Last Game
It was yet another loss for the Reds yesterday. They lost 2-4 while visiting the Rangers in Surprise, AZ. The game was televised on the MLB Network, so I got to watch a Reds lineup minus Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips while I put in my time on the treadmill. It was so meta.

Devin Mesoraco went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Miguel Olivo went 1-for-1 with an RBI and a run scored. That’s about all that’s worth mentioning from the offensive side.

From the defensive side, there’s more to say. Starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo took a line-drive to the pitching hand in the sixth inning. He left the game for x-rays, which were negative, and it sounds like today he’s already feeling fine. It must be the supplements.

Next Game
This afternoon the Reds host the Mariners at 4:05 p.m. Homer Bailey will be starting for the Reds.

Mark Berry congratulates Scott Rolen after a game-tying home run.

He has caught it early and has a couple treatment options, which may or may not limit his ability to take the field.

Apparently his sister has a similar condition, so though the preliminary tests showed that there was no cancer, Berry pursued more aggressive testing and discovered it was more serious.

The organization is super supportive, and it sounds like Berry might have a very positive outcome. There’s a great write-up of the situation on Reds.com. I recommend you check it out.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
This weather sure doesn’t make it feel like it’s time for baseball. But there have been several snowed out games. In 2007, the Cleveland Indian’s opening day game was delayed by snow. There are a few videos on YouTube, even.